For months now, we have been talking about a North American road racing series that would compete against the ailing AMA Pro Road Racing championship that DMG runs. The series in question was rumored to be headed by Dorna and Wayne Rainey, and today’s news confirms at least half of that partnership, as the three-time World Champion is affiliated with the project

Called MotoAmerica, the North America series is run by KRAVE Group LLC. Rainey is a partner in the KRAVE Group, along with Chuck Aksland who was a 20-year manager of Team Roberts and recently the Vice President of Motor Sport Operations at the Circuit of the Americas race track. Terry Karges, a marketing executive from Roush Performance is a part of the team, as is Richard Varner, a motorcycle industry entrepreneur.

According to the AMA, MotoAmerica will promote and manage the series, which will be sanctioned by the AMA and FIM North America. This means that MotoAmerica will be able to award AMA and FIM North America #1 plates to series class champions, replacing the role of AMA Pro Road Racing as run by the Daytona Motorsports Group.

“If you are an amateur or professional motorcycle road racer in America, if you are a fan of road racing or if you are a company that does business in this industry, this is an exciting day,” said AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman. “Our goal has always been to entrust the promoting and commercial rights for professional racing to a talented, dedicated, well-capitalized professional entity, and the KRAVE Group certainly offers all that and more.”

Talking about the new venture, Wayne Rainey added that “the AMA was instrumental in this deal coming together, serving as negotiator and mediator at all points of discussion. We appreciate the efforts of Rob Dingman throughout the process.”

Krave has also worked closely with the FIM, and presumably Dorna, to ensure that MotoAmerica operates in conjunction with the premier international road racing series.

According to the press release, the AMA will staff officials at each round of the professional series and develop an enforcement, appeal and, rider license procedure. The AMA will also be responsible for issuing professional road racing licenses for the series.

MotoAmerica, in consultation with the AMA, will develop classes, the rules of competition, and event procedures; while details of the rulebook are still in development, classes and events will conform to prevailing international standards.

“The structure of our agreement with the AMA serves the goal of developing riders to be successful on the world stage,” Rainey said. “It allows a framework that supports advancement from youth competition to novice, from novice to Pro-Am, from Pro-Am to National Championship contention and, for the best of the best, an opportunity to race for a world title.”

“The AMA’s roles as FIM affiliate and amateur sanctioning body make it a critical piece to establishing a clear progression for America’s road racing community,” continued Rainy. “We’re eager to build a fair, exciting and commercially viable professional road racing series not just for today’s stars, but for those who will stand on top of the podium for years to come.”

Perhaps the biggest part of this announcement is that the AMA has re-acquired the sanctioning, promotional, and commercial rights to professional motorcycle road racing in the United States from DMG. As such, DMG will no longer have a role in promoting professional motorcycle road racing in the USA, though AMA Pro Racing will continued to be involved in other motorcycle racing events.

I stand vindicated Jensen. I told you a couple months back that this is what needed to happen… Not so crazy anymore, am I?

MM

Are they going to run the series starting next year, or 2016?

jzj

I wish them the best of luck. I hope there will be a simple set of racing and motorcycle specification rules that are in accord with the global superbike/supersport rules. As much as I prefer to be able to simply watch on the internet, I hope they can obtain a lucrative set of broadcast rights, so that they can use that money to properly promote the series.

Kalle

… and bring in Moto2 & Moto3 as racing classes!

b_bobby43

DMG’s last event is the upcoming race in New Jersey@ MM

irksome

Ding dong, the witch is dead.

Gonzo

Dammit! When I first heard he was doing this, I was all excited, and hoped it would be a huge kick in the nuts to the AMA, but no, they are still involved. The AMA must be punished for it’s stupidity in giving away AMA racing to asshats like DMG!!! The AMA does not deserve our support.

http://www.fischer1.com MR.X.

I see Jensen, it takes a little longer when you write an article rather than just post the press release.

Dr. Gellar

Awesome news! I’m with Kalle….would love to see Moto2 and Moto3-type classes in this new series.

Calisdad

DMG didn’t want it anyway. Good to see Wayne involved.

This is a great day for motorcycle road racing in America.

tony

in the immortal words of homer simpson, woohoo! this can only work toward everyone’s benefit. lets please hope they come to fontana speedway! and speaking of ulrich…

how will his west coast series fit into all this?

Rico nacho

Been waiting for this day since the AMA gave pro racing to DMG who promptly ruined pro motorcycle racing in the US. I agree with Gonzo…AMA is the root cause of the problem & I am surprised Rainey wants anything to do with them…I resigned my 14 year membership last year after the last of many, many foot in mouth mistakes the AMA has involved themselves in… Loud pipes, no helmets, & more… &Rob Dingman… The grand master of the AMA…he ruined that organization as far as I am concerned.. He is not a motorcyclist! He only started riding AFTER taking over tha AMA…. No thanks… How could this guy possibly know what riders want,etc…. While I am glad USA pro racing is back in more competent hands, I really wish they could have avoided any consorting with the AMA…

H.L.

Wow and wow. Incredible positive news to say the least. I hope they can seek advise and counsel from Dorna and FIM as it relates to the CEV Repsol junior Spanish championship as well as the new Asian junior championship.

Hopefully it will grow strong and America can one day embrace two wheel racing like the Europeans do. I would like to see Hayden and Edwards get heavily involved in this important pivotal venture and movement.

Hey, maybe my future grandchildren can line up on the grid and give the Europeans a run for their money.

Jimboecv

I suspect the classes will run more along WSBK rules to control costs. Why would a UJM manufacture sponser (pay for, home-schoolers) A series with KTM /Kalex (etc) bikes? Parallel series perhaps? Wishful thinking on my part more likely. Rejoice!!

irksome

I, for one, will always miss the ill-timed pace cars.

KSW

I would like to personally congratulate Mr. Rainey and his partners along with those at AMA who made this possible. We can only hope that this is as rewarding to the state of racing as the passion is among those who are competing for that #1 plate.

Now, all who are profess to be as pissed at the lowly France family do as I did when my phone rang asking if I’d like my camping spot for the 2015 Daytona 200. “Have the France family died a horrible death? Then no.”, is what I said. Vote with your wallet and stop clicking on sites for entity’s you disgust.

Again, best of to the KRAVE LLC group!

Mr.X,

Really? Hate the messenger? Could he have been visiting a sick relative or other more pressing matters. Don’t just add your industry website to your post, advertise on the site or bloody shut up. How’s that for calling you out for not supporting the hard working, barely paid, members of the press who cover this industry while promoting your own financial endeavors?

thunderbug

2-time AMA superbike champion Chuck Aksland? I think it’s great that Chuck is involved and will be a key asset to the success of the series, but I don’t believe he, or his brother Skip, ever won a superbike championship.

Texx

Fantastic news for motorcycle road racing in America! Let’s just hope that the manufacturers, riders, tracks and fans will respond to this news in a quick, positive manner to get things moving in the right direction for the sport.

American Racer

Don’t break out the Champaign yet gang. KRAVE, Rainey, Aksland, and Karges have a massive job on their hands in order to turn American road racing around again. Change in leadership does not necessarily constitute success. Also, DORNA’s trepidation in entering the partnership is a bit concerning. They should be aggressively involved and pursuing an American series that will guarantee American riders on the MotoGP grid. Why are they on their heels with this one? Is the rocky relationship DORNA has had with Rainey giving them cold feet? Who knows. At any rate, there is no doubt DMG was floundering, let’s hope the new team can at least put more races together next season, especially at tracks where MotoGP actually goes. I’m looking at you Indy and Circuit of the Americas (AMA doesn’t have to be the same weekend). I have to admit I am hopeful, but let’s see the race schedule and the classes before we celebrate.

TexusTim

AMA need to go away along with dmg..for Christ sake if they had a clue they wouldn’t have prostituted the sport like they have. Jensen…Months really ? this broke cover three weeks ago man.

I just hope they can get this new series off the groundfor 2015, and get Road America on its schedule.

http://www.asphaltandrubber.com Jensen Beeler

Apologies, I had Wayne Rainey on the brain.

http://www.bikeweb.com Julian Bond

So what happens to Daytona?

BSB has no problem running BSB*2, BSS, Moto3, STK1000, STK600 in one day. There’s really no reason why the AMA shouldn’t as well. The choice is not between WSB/Moto2/3 and WSB/WSS/STK when you could do both. The only question is where the mid-size formula goes and if it’s something like STK600 and a WSS/Moto2 that allows custom frames. Then there’s tyres. Who gets the spec tyre contract because you know there will be one.

But mostly, how do they make it cheap enough and entertaining enough to attract the sponsors so that there are full grids of competitive teams? I really hope somebody from the new organisation has a quiet word with Stuart Higgs at BSB about how to do that.

JoeD

Good riddance!! The only bad thing is those A Hats at AMA are still around.

Kaw4Life

I wish Wayne and all associated the VERY best of luck! May not happen in my life time but would be nice to see the major networks showing some races, not because I am too cheap to pay for cable but rather there is enough interest so that they do so.

YamahaKid

I hope this will be a positive new start. The task will be difficult and take some time. I think there is one thing that us road racing fans can do to fix all of our problems – GO TO THE RACES!!! (and take two friends). It all starts with attendance at the tracks. If the promoters (not DMG by the way) make money, we will have more races. If we have more races, we will have more exposure. If we have more exposure the factories and the sponsors and the money will follow.

irksome

Very much with the YamahaKid on this; all the luck in the world won’t do squat if we don’t attend.

Since Laconia, the track of my youth is deaddeaddead, I guess we’ll go camping at NJ and hopefully Mid-Ohio.